San Diego County CA— Rubio’s Restaurants, the brand that has counted the ocean as a source of inspiration since its founding more than 30 years ago, is teaming up with the California Coastal Commission to sponsor the 31st Annual Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday, September 19 from 9 a.m. to noon. The statewide beach cleanup is expected to draw tens of thousands of volunteers to help remove cigarette butts, plastic bags, food wrappers and other types of plastic pollutants at more than 850 locations throughout California.
As the state’s largest volunteer event, California Coastal Cleanup Day brings community members together in support of coastal awareness and conservancy. Last year’s event attracted more than 66,800 volunteers with over 1.2 million pounds – or 564.7 tons – of trash and recyclables removed from California’s beaches, lakes and waterways. In addition to its sponsorship, Rubio’s Team Members will be attending select cleanups throughout San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County and Northern California offering attendees the chance to spin the Rubio’s prize wheel to win free meal vouchers and branded goodies. To thank hard-working volunteers for their support, vouchers for free tacos and complimentary kids meals will be distributed at all 850 cleanup locations.
“Our sponsors are crucial partners in helping to educate Californians about the need for healthy marine ecosystems, and we’re thrilled to partner with Rubio’s,” said Steve Kinsey, chair of the California Coastal Commission. “With 18.5 billion pounds of plastic entering the world’s ocean’s annually, it’s imperative we all work together to find solutions to marine pollution.”
Rubio’s works to be a friend to the ocean year-round with a majority of its seafood being sourced from sustainable fisheries, recycling plastic and glass bottles in restaurants whenever possible, using eco-friendly plates and to-go containers and supporting ocean focused causes. Now in its fourth year, Rubio’s signature CoastFest event draws thousands of attendees annually to celebrate the ocean with a beach cleanup, live music and educational activities for adults and kids of all ages. In addition, Rubio’s honors the World Oceans Day celebration each June by distributing over 90,000 free reusable tote bags to date in an effort to preserve the ocean and reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in our oceans.
“Since much of our menu includes seafood, we are passionate about initiatives and organizations that help preserve our healthy oceans,” said Ralph Rubio, co-founder of Rubio’s. “Sponsoring the 31st Annual California Coastal Cleanup is a way for us to give back to our communities while raising awareness for clean water and healthy marine life.”
Rubio’s passion for creating delicious coastal cuisine began when the first Rubio’s opened in 1983. To date, Rubio’s has sold more than 200 million Original Fish Tacos® and uses sustainable seafood in nearly all of its seafood menu items. The brand continues to expand its menu with new, innovative recipes, ranging from sustainable Grilled Gourmet Shrimp Taco and Blackened Tilapia Taco to a California Bowl and Chipotle Orange Salad with Pacific Mahi Mahi.
For more information about the California Coastal Commission’s 31stAnnual California Coastal Cleanup Day and how to get involved, please visit http://www.coastal.ca.gov. For more information about Rubio’s commitment to the ocean, or its coastal cuisine, please visit www.rubios.com. Guests can also join the conversation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RubioTweets, or Facebook at www.facebook.com/rubios.
About Rubio’s® Restaurants:
Rubio’s first opened in 1983, in the San Diego neighborhood of Mission Bay. Today, counting the ocean as a source of inspiration, Rubio’s uses sustainable seafood in nearly all of its seafood dishes and continues to expand its menu with innovative recipes ranging from seafood tacos and burritos to California Bowls and crisp fresh salads. In addition, Rubio’s offers grilled marinated chicken and steak, “no fried” pinto beans, handmade guacamole, a variety of proprietary salsas, and craft beer and sangria beverage options. The award-winning restaurant regularly receives accolades for its famous Original Fish Taco®. It was also recently named the number one Mexican chain on Consumer Reports’ latest survey as well as ranked as one of Fast Casual’s ‘Top 50 Movers and Shakers’. Rubio’s participates in a variety of ocean-centric efforts throughout the year including its annual CoastFest celebration and beach cleanup. Rubio’s is headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif., has over 4,000 employees and operates 194 restaurants in California, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Nevada. For more information, visit http://rubios.com.